Learning from Tested Advertising Methods

So…I sort of stole the title for this article from a book I read on advertising which was introduced to me years ago by a good friend of mine, Mark Wieser. 

In fact…that’s exactly what this article is all about, SWIPING other people’s information and ideas.  I didn’t say steal.  I said swipe!    

Hold your horses!   If you think that is a bad thing, I want you to consider the context of what I mean here. 

If you don’t know jack squat about advertising or copywriting, where do you think your going to learn it?  You’ve got to start someplace. 

Even the famed Dan Kennedy, who I suggest you study and read as much of his stuff as you can, has a massive “Swipe” file.  Dan even talks about it in several of his books and programs. 

The best way to learn is to study others that do it.  I truly do think that if you are entrepreneur in the field of Direct Sales or Network Marketing, having some good copywriting skills will certainly work to your advantage. 

You want to get good at advertising?  Then study it.  Study the bad ads, the horrific headlines, the incredibly delicious bonuses offered, and the incredible, yet very simple intelligence that go into writing a powerful ad or sales letter. 

If you see something good, grab it.  Save it.  Put it in a file and label it your SWIPE FILE.  Swipe as much as you can, and as often as you can.  If it makes you drool, stay up at night, want to buy or take action…then put it in a special file labeled THE GOOD STUFF. 

I’m serious here folks.  Yes…read books, including Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples and The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy just to name only two. 

But…study, study, study.  If I watch television, I pay attention to the ads or infomercials.  If I read a newspaper or magazine, I look for good ads.   If I am surfing the net, I look for powerful ads and well-written sales letters. 

Put it to use.  In other words, advertise.  Test it.  Do it.  See what your results are.  And…my goodness, TRACK your results.  Don’t ever, ever advertise unless you plan on tracking the exact statistics of your campaign.  If it doesn’t work so well, tweak it.  Getting results requires studying, putting it into action, testing it, re-testing it, and repeating the process over and over. 

Of course, the most important part of successful advertising and copywriting is understanding your audience, what they want and need, what drives them, what motivates them, and what moves them into action.  This part requires a bit of research on your part to make sure you are getting the right message to the right audience at the right time. 

Remember…you’re not stealing anything, you’re just swiping it.  That’s right.  Swiping it for ideas, for brainstorming, for new concepts…whatever will inspire you to write better and create more consistent results for your business.

If you want to get good at advertising and copywriting, you simply need to start studying it, researching it, and putting it into action.  When’s the best time to start? 

I’ll let you make that decision.